A Simple Game of Chess
by HolyOrdersOtaku
Summary: Ruby is called in to Prof. Ozpin's office, and she's not entirely sure why. Part 2 of "Team Effort", but can be read as a stand alone. Rated T to be safe, due to brief suggestive tone at the end.


Ruby was unsure of why she was being called to Professor Ozpin's office, but she continued to make her way down Beacon's halls at a brisk pace to keep from disappointing the head master. The black-red head took in the sights around her; she had never really been to this part of the school before, and was somewhat intrigued by her surroundings. Stained glass windows portrayed the destruction brought upon by Grimm, and humanities uprising against said creatures, portraying many historical figures that Ruby should have recognized, but she tended to sleep during Oobleck's class. The last window, just before Ozpin's door, held a character that stuck out to Ruby; it was Ozpin himself.

While she could confidentially say that the man behind the door didn't look very old, she could see that the image on the window was meant to be Ozpin in his youth. Curious as she was, however, she decided to not procrastinate any further and knock on Ozpin's door, unsure of what to expect.

Maybe she was being praised for something? No, that couldn't be it: he would pay _her_ a visit for something like that.

Was she getting a mission? Still not right. No, Ozpin would have invited all of team RWBY if that was the case.

That left, in Ruby's mind, only one option; she was in trouble. She started to panic. What had she done to deserve punishment? Would she get a warning, detention, or full on expulsion? Maybe she was going to be stripped of rank, or maybe she was going to be separated from the rest of team RWBY. With every additional thought she brought herself closer to a full on panic attack, and the entire chain of thought, from praise to punishment, happened in just under five seconds. This was enough time for Ozpin to respond to her knock with a light, almost cheerful, "Come in, Miss Rose."

"O-okay," she nervously replied, swallowing hard to steel herself for what lay ahead. She entered the room and closed the door behind her, at Ozpin's request. Ozpin's office was quite large, housing several book cases that stretched to the ceiling. There was a deep black desk of ebony with brass fittings on the corners directly in line of sight with the door, each fitting carved into the shape of vines and leaves. The floor was a deep green carpet with a brown oval shaped rug in the middle, and in front of the desk was a pair of ebony chairs, both of which were clearly hand crafted and seemed very expensive, much like everything in the room. On the right side of the room was a brick fireplace, burning hot to keep the room at a comfortable temperature, and on the left side, near some of the book cases, was a small square like table with a chess board and two chairs on each side of the board; black and white chess pieces were already assembled, ready for any game that may be played. It seemed a very comfortable room to Ruby, which only made her more frightened that she was in trouble.

Ozpin sat down at his ebony desk and motioned for Ruby to sit at one of the chairs, noticing that Ruby hadn't moved since she entered. "You have nothing to fear from me, Miss Rose. Please, sit." Ruby nodded and made her way to the chair, sitting down and feeling a sense of comfort in the chair's cushion. "Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, or something else perhaps?"

"Um," Ruby started, not sure how to answer.

"Of course if you're not thirsty, then don't worry about it. But if you would have a drink, just name it and I shall do my best to provide it."

Ruby nodded. "Hot chocolate?" she asked, unsure of the response she would get.

Ozpin simply smiled before pulling out his personal scroll, typing away at the screen before setting it down. A soft, but awkward silence penetrated the air around them.

Ruby glanced around nervously. "I don't…" she started before Ozpin raised a hand to silence her.

"Not before we have our drinks, Miss Rose. I find it makes conversation easier when one has something to sip." Barely thirty seconds passed before a knock came from the door. "You may enter."

Glynda Goodwitch entered, holding a tray with two mugs balanced delicately upon it. One was the mug that Ozpin was always seen with, and the other, Ruby could only deduce, was for her. Glynda set the mugs down silently, barely even greeting Ruby with a glance, before exiting just as quietly. "Thank you, Miss Goodwitch," Ozpin said as the door closed.

He picked up his mug and sipped it lightly, smiling at the taste. "I must thank you, Miss Rose. It's been far too long since I've last had a cup of hot chocolate."

She slowly picked up her mug. "Uh, you're welcome, I guess," she replied nervously, taking a small sip from her cup as well.

Ozpin continued to smile at Ruby. "So, how has your stay with us been thus far, Miss Rose? I trust Beacon is what you hoped it would be."

Ruby nodded. "It's been great, ignoring a few minor problems here and there with my own studies. Oh, but I really am trying hard, professor!"

Ozpin chuckled softly. "I am well aware. I never doubted your academic skills. Sure, you seem to be lacking is some fields more than others, but aren't we all? It's only natural that we excel at those topics that we draw a personal curiosity to." He took another sip from his mug before continuing. "For example; I hear that Professor Oobleck that you tend to doze off during his lectures. Does the past bore you so?"

Ruby blushed sheepishly. "I don't mean to sleep in his class. I guess I just never really found an interest in history. I understand its importance, unlike Cardin, but I just can't focus on it."

"However, Professor Langdon tells me that you are exceptionally brilliant in his symbolism course. Why is that?" Ozpin asked with a light smile.

"I guess it's because most of his class refers to fairy tales and mythology. I've always loved those kinds of stories. They're part of the reason I want to become a huntress."

"You mean the stories about great heroes and monstrous villains who battle for the fate of the world, or even the hand of a maiden fair?"

Ruby nodded excitedly. "Exactly!"

"Well, that is only to be expected. Not that you would find an interest in that particular subject, but that you _have_ found an interest somewhere. No matter where you are, there is something for you to take an interest in, I think." He gazed into her eyes, as is searching for something within her. "What else do you think about your stay?"

Ruby looked at him with a slight sense of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's to my understanding that you and your team had a bit of a scrap recently, and I don't mean the incident with your lack of sleep. I understand that it's been resolved, but it still draws forth my curiosity."

Her head slumped down slightly. "Well, I mean, everything's fine now. Water under the bridge, you know. But, it's not something that we can really talk about."

"What? That Blake is a faunus?" Ruby looked at him, shocked. She was about to ask how he knew, but he answered before she even opened her mouth. "We're required to know everything we can about our student's physically before they come to Beacon, as I'm sure you know. The information is confidential, of course, so Blake's secret will be kept safe by the Beacon staff who know about it." He raised his mug and winked knowingly as he sipped from it.

Ruby was concerned about this. "And who else knows about it, professor?"

"Only myself, Glynda, who keeps our school records, and the medical staff in the nurse's office. The bare essentials, as it were, who will ever know any biological secret you may have before attending." He once again stared into Ruby's eyes. "How is it that she revealed the secret to you and the other members of your team?"

"Well," Ruby began, unsure of how to answer.

"Do not worry; no one will be punished for anything. That is not why you are in here. I simply wished to have a chat with you, Miss Rose."

Those words lifted a hefty weight off of Ruby, and she actually felt lighter as she sighed. "It started with Weiss, actually. She didn't mean to, I don't think, and she didn't know any better of course. She was generalizing all faunus as being wild, evil beings. It made Blake upset to the point where she accidentally revealed that she was a faunus to us. She ran away for a day and a half, but when we found her Weiss had apologized. In her own way, of course. Weiss wouldn't be caught dead saying the words 'I'm sorry' to anyone."

"Is that so?" Ozpin asked. "I do hate to see students conflict amongst themselves, so it is nice to see one resolved so calmly. I trust the friendship between them hasn't been damaged?"

The young girl shook her head. "Not at all. If anything, they've become better friends for it. They're trying to understand each other's reasoning."

Ozpin nodded. "Miss Rose, I have an irrelevant question I would like to ask."

"O-okay," she replied.

"Do you know the rules to chess?"

She nodded. "I used to play with my sister when I was younger. It was something to do when we were bored, but we were both awful at it."

Ozpin stood up and slowly walked towards the chess board that had been set up. He placed his free hand on the back of one of the chairs. "Would you humor me with a game while we talk?"

Ruby didn't really understand what was going on, but she agreed and moved to sit in the chair across from Ozpin; she was seated with the white pieces. Ozpin sat down and motioned for her to start; White moves first. Ruby took one of her pawns and moved it up by two spaces.

"You know," Ozpin began as he moved his own piece. "Chess is a very strategic game. It is old, and has long been a popular game amongst strategists and kings. As you know, the goal is to protect your own king from an assailing force of an enemy, while at the same time end the war by taking the enemy's king. Soldiers die and lives are lost along the way, but the ultimate victory is the only concern for the player. So long as my king is untouched and safe from harm, I will use any means necessary to eliminate the enemy. The problem arises when you realize that your foe is thinking the exact same thing."

He then sipped from his mug as he observed Ruby's move. "As a hunter, I realize that my role in life will never be that of the King who sits idly in comfort, or the Queen who gallops about as she wishes, not even the Rook who is always looking this way and that. As a hunter, I know my place is right here," he places his finger on the pawn that he just moved. "The pawn; seemingly worthless, it is moving only in a single direction to certain doom, but its role is very clear. The pawn dies in the service of protecting his King; the highest honor of death that can ever be granted."

Ruby played the piece of her choice. "But that's a silly way of thinking. Who would give their lives for someone that they've never met before? Who would throw away their life for a man who didn't even know they existed?"

Ozpin smiled, countering Ruby's move. "True. I wouldn't die protecting just anyone, now would I? At least, not someone so singular and self absorbed as a king. That is why, when playing a game like this, both on the board and on the real battlefield, you must consider who _your_ king is. Not the ruler of a nation, but your own personal king."

Ruby glanced up from the board after making her move, taking out one of Ozpin's pawns. "What do you mean?"

"You must think of the king not as an actual king, but something worth fighting for. It is never the same, and it varies from person to person, but it is always true. We all have something worth protecting."

Ruby and Ozpin got to the point of simply replying as they played, and the turns blended together in Ruby's memory as she moved after Ozpin moved. "What is your king, professor?"

He smiled. "It is not my king that you should worry about now is it, Miss Rose? The better question is who your _king_ is?"

Ruby glanced down at her board and saw that she was losing. She stared at the king and wondered who it would be. Could it even be a single person? Was there anyone worth protecting more than anyone else? Naturally her thoughts drifted to Weiss, and Ruby didn't want to think of the heiress as her king, feeling that she would be playing favorites amongst her team. But, was that really so bad? She loved Yang with all her heart, sisters as they were, but what about Blake? The cat faunus deserved the same amount of affection, did she not? So, why Weiss? Weiss had always been cold, separate, and disapproving to Ruby.

And yet, the heiress still tried to help Ruby as much as possible. Before Ruby confessed her feelings, Weiss had always tried to help Ruby with her studies, her combat training, even with her laundry from time to time. And Ruby almost never asked for it. Weiss may have been cruel and cold to her, but Weiss was anything but cruel and cold. Ruby decided who her king was; who her _princess _was.

She nodded to Ozpin. "I know who my king is," she finally answered. She picked up her remaining pawn and slid it to the front of the battlefield. "And I would die to defend them."

Ozpin smiled. He placed his hand thoughtfully over his chess pieces, as if he pondered what his next play would be. Finally his index finger rested on his king firmly. "I'm glad that you understand, Miss Rose," he said as he knocked his own king over. He stood up and faced Ruby. "I'm afraid that's all the time I can spend with you, Miss Rose. You are dismissed." He escorted her to the door. "Thank you for humoring me, and please have a good day."

Ruby thanked him for the hot chocolate and bowed before she left the office and returned to her dorm. There, her team mates all sat around doing various tasks. Blake was reading a thick hardcover, Yang was dangling dangerously off of her bunk reading a motorcycle magazine, and Weiss was seated at her desk polishing Myrtenaster.

Ruby's eyes froze on Weiss and she couldn't get them to break away; not that she really wanted to. Weiss was dressed in casual attire, much unlike her uniform or combat gear. She wore a pale, light blue skirt with a white short sleeved top. Ruby's eyes traced her form, from her bare and pale legs to her beautiful and silky white hair. But one feature made Ruby double back to look at again; her scar. Weiss was beautiful and was almost the epitome of perfection, say for this one maiming flaw. It didn't truly tarnish her beauty, but Ruby couldn't help but feel that the scar was ugly. It was a sign of unnecessary pain that Weiss should most likely have never experienced. She remembered Weiss had once complained, saying that she should have been the team leader.

Ruby did love being team leader, and she wouldn't give up the title unless absolutely necessary, but she couldn't help but feel that Weiss would have made a fine leader. _I would have followed you, my king,_ she thought.

Weiss finally noticed that Ruby was staring at her. "What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ruby replied. "Just thinking about what Ozpin told me."

"And what might that be?"

Ruby smiled. She approached Weiss and wrapped her arms around the heiress. "I love you, princess." she stated.

Weiss blushed at the sudden affection. "Y-you dunce! Where did that come from?"

The pair didn't see Yang's smirk as she said, "Want me and Blake to leave? I'm sure we can find something to do for a couple of hours." Blake hid her face with the book she was reading, trying her best to keep from laughing.

"Yang! Your sister is _fifteen_!"

"Don't worry! She may be a virgin, but she's old enough to know about sex."

Ruby growled lightly. "I'm having a moment here, Yang! Don't ruin it!"

"Okay, okay," the blonde replied, almost singing.

"Sorry about that," Ruby said to Weiss. "I just felt I had to tell you that I loved you."

Weiss blushed as she nodded. "I don't suppose it correlates to what Ozpin told you, does it?"

Ruby smiled. "It might. But that," she put a finger on her lip as she smiled and winked. "That is a secret~!"

Weiss shook her head. "Nothing scandalous, I hope."

Ruby shook her head. "Really, it was mostly just a little," she paused to think of the proper terminology. "I guess you could call it a little self reflection. To help me realize something that needed to be known."

"I see," Weiss said. "And is this newfound knowledge of yourself helpful in any way?"

Ruby kissed Weiss lightly on the cheek. "I would like to think so."

* * *

In Ozpin's office the lights were out. It was night, and the school was long since closed for the night. Students would either be asleep, studying, or breaking the curfew rules at this hour; not that he really cared which one they did. He was young once, and still envied the students and their carefree nature. He sipped his mug, which was once again filled with hot chocolate. The last time he had a cup of this particular drink before today must have been when he was Ruby's age. How long ago was that? He couldn't remember truthfully; he was older than he looked.

A light knock on the door to his office broke his chain of thought. "Come in," he said.

Glynda entered the room. "I thought you might still be here, professor," she said.

"Just catching up on some work," he lied.

She shook her head; he knew at all times how much work Ozpin had, and knew that he had been done for the day for several hours. "It's late, professor. Go home and get some sleep. Remember what Miss Rose went through and keep yourself from repeating it."

Ozpin chuckled. "I suppose I should call it a day. Good night, Miss Goodwitch."

She nodded. "Good night." She left the room, but kept the door open for Ozpin to close on his own. He finished his mug and set it down on his desk, smiling at the objects resting on the ebony wood. Sitting in the center of his desk was a map of Remnant, and sitting on the corner of the map was the Black king from his chess set.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S****NOTE **

So, I had this idea yesterday and I finally finished it. I hope you guys like it, even though its kind of an oddball. It is in the same canon as my other fic, "Team Effort", but is still a stand alone one shot. The only connections are that Ruby and Weiss are dating, and that Ruby was an insomniac for a month; that's it.

I sort of, kind of, maybe, potentially threw in some references, some random and there for fun, and some were intentional from the beginning. The only one I will say outright is the Prof. Langdon reference , who is a professor of symbolism in Dan Brown's novels. You know, The Da Vinci Code and what not? I love those books. Inferno came out last summer, I think, and was by far my favorite...but I digress.

Till next time!


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